It is well known in the industry how to control cutting tools along a continuous given path. However whenever additional paths are included the cutting can become very complicated. Also, in many instances the cutting tools are directed along the same approximate path more than one time because of overlapping lines in the paths. Further, in many cutting applications the thickness of the cut (kerf) reduces or expands the size of the final cut item so that it does not match the pattern. In many complicated patterns the thickness of the cut may be greater than the thickness of portions of the pattern, resulting in over-cutting or a failure to successfully cut narrow areas. In many applications (e.g. cutting out letters and numbers) portions of the pattern may be cut completely around and the center will simply fall out.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of forming a cut-path for cutting tools.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of forming a cut-path for cutting tools that allows two or more images to be integrated or merged into one merging cut-path.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of forming a cut-path for cutting tools that eliminates or substantially reduces the effect of the cut thickness on a final pattern.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of forming a cut-path for cutting tools that reduces under-cutting, over-cutting, and other related malfunctions along near-parallel cut-paths and in narrow areas.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of forming a cut-path for cutting tools that allows merging images to reduce fallout of portions of the cut-path.